Sausage, squash combine for savory, hearty sauce

Even with the low-carb craze long deceased, pasta has retained its bad-boy reputation.

All that white flour can amount to a lot of empty calories. Most have just 1 or 2 grams of fiber and 200 calories per serving.

The whole-wheat options haven’t been much of an option. They tend to the dense and chewy – characteristics that don’t often play well in pasta.

I decided to craft a recipe that pairs the heartiest of whole-grain pastas – lasagna noodles – with a sauce that can stand up to its heft. In this case, butternut squash studded with sausage and onions.

Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta

1/2 pound whole-wheat lasagna noodles, broken into medium pieces (roughly 2 inches long)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, cut into thin rounds

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casings removed

3 cups cubed winter squash

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until tender, according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and sausage and sauté 5 minutes. Add the squash and rosemary and sauté another 5 minutes, stirring often.

Add the chicken broth, cover and cook 5 minutes. Remove the cover and cook another 5 minutes, or until squash is tender and broth has reduced by about half.

In a small glass, combine the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water, then stir into the squash and sausage mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Add the pasta to the skillet and toss to combine.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.